The Minehead Branch 1848-1971 by Ian Coleby 9781899889204 NEW

Although well-known and loved today as one of the UK's premier heritage railways, the story of the Minehead Branch begins in the mid 19th century and this is the first time the line's colourful history has been told in detail. The first section, from Norton Fitzwarren to Watchet, was opened by the West Somerset Railway in 1862, with the extension to Minehead, built under the auspices of the Minehead Railway Company, opening twelve years later, in 1874. Both lines were broad gauge and operated from opening by the Bristol & Exeter Railway. Conversion to standard gauge took place under the Great Western Railway in 1882, although the Minehead Railway was not officially absorbed by that company until 1897 and the West Somerset Railway until 1922. Traversing some of the finest countryside in the west of England, from rolling hills to coastal plains, the branch carried generations of holidaymakers to the beaches at Blue Anchor, Dunster and Minehead, as well as providing a vital goods li.